


the great survivors that now remain

by Fluffypanda



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dinosaurs, Alternate Universe - Stone Age, Early Cretaceous Utah, First Meetings, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, No Animal Death, Pre-Slash, QUICKSAND, They look out for each other, Tony has a cute dinosaur friend, a small attempt at scientific accuracy, despite numerous violations right in the premise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-22 18:54:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13770399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffypanda/pseuds/Fluffypanda
Summary: Tony and his dinosaur go hunting, not all goes according to plan.or How Tony met Steve.





	the great survivors that now remain

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Utahraptor ostrommaysorum
> 
> Also a fill for Y3: Watching Helplessly
> 
> Stone Age man is living beside dinosaurs in Early Cretaceous Utah. I dare you to question it.  
> Also Tony is a bit ahead of his time when it comes to technology, but when isn’t he?
> 
>  **Glossary** (In order of appearance)  
>  Ruybel – Tony’s dinosaur friend, said Roo-E-bell  
> Awhini – A species of [Microraptor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor)  
> Dicha – [Hippodraco](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodraco)  
> Hatyl – [Gastonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastonia_\(dinosaur\))  
> Ranasha (Ruybel’s species) – [Utahraptor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utahraptor) [short video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVNFUcbE6fU)
> 
> Thanks again to [erawebuilt](http://archiveofourown.org/users/erawebuilt/pseuds/erawebuilt) for the beta work!
> 
> Listen to the podfic of it [here!](https://fanpodfix.tumblr.com/post/178650877657/rating-teen-and-up-audiences-podfic-of-the-great)

Leaning into Ruybel’s great feathered side, Tony listened impatiently for any sign of approaching prey over the sound of running water and the loud buzzing of insects. Shade from a nearby tree sheltered Tony from the harsh sunlight.

Ruybel snapped at an awhini that flew too close to her head, coming away with only a few feathers for her trouble as the beast scampered back into the treetops. A firm hand on her neck reminded her it wasn’t time for play, and Ruybel sighed, nuzzling Tony’s stomach with her snout, as they settled down to wait once more.

Tony scratched his beard and checked to ensure his flint knife and bolas would be within reach. With a spark of pride, he adjusted them so they hung on either side of his hips, ready at a moment’s notice. Each of them, plus the many other tools he had stashed away at his campsite, represented hours of crafting and experimentation.

Then,the tall ferns that lined the river banks rustled, and both Tony and Ruybel snapped to attention as a smallish scaled head popped out, followed by a large body with strong, thick hind legs–a dicha. It was soon joined by a dozen others, all warily plodding through the underbrush. An injured one, judging by its awkward movements, trailed behind the others.

Ruybel kept her head low, just even with Tony’s shoulder, as she watched the injured dicha limp towards the water. Tony touched the red-painted beads and feathers at his neck as he sent up a prayer before sidling around to the other side of the herd. He bided his time, waiting until their target had its guard down to make his move. The injured dicha bent its long head down to drink with the rest of the herd, putting some of its weight on its shorter front legs.

At Tony’s whistle, Ruybel charged out of the foliage, scattering the herd. The dichas bounded every which way to escape the predator in their midst. Tony took shelter on top of a boulder to avoid getting trampled and pulled the bolas from his belt. He quickly homed in on the injured dicha crossing the shallow river, swinging the duel weights and throwing the bolas to tangle its feet just as it reached the other side. It went down with a pained grunt, sliding in the mud.

Crossing the river at an angle, Ruybel went in for the kill before the dicha could struggle free of its bonds. An alarmed screech sounded over the din of stampeding dichas. Tony searched the roiling mass of moving bodies for Ruybel and at last found her mired in slick clay. She struggled to pull free, but her efforts only submerged her further.

Tony rushed across the river, wading through the water, muddy with stirred up sediment, and dodging the last of the fleeing dichas. The injured one was still tangled in the bolas, though probably not for long.

Panting heavily as he scrambled over river stones, Tony had nothing in his head but a desperate need to save Ruybel, his closest companion since he was pushed out of his band. She was crying, a panicked rumble that accompanied every one of her failed attempts to get loose.

Tony’s feet sunk into the mud, he took a few more steps, each more difficult than the last as the ground seemed to suck him down. If he went any further, he probably wouldn’t be able to pull free.

Ruybel spotted him and the pitch of her cries changed, became more pleading, as she turned towards Tony. This great predator, so trusting in the abilities of a creature less than half her size – even if he kept going, he wasn’t strong enough to pull her out. Closing his eyes to Ruybel’s frantic struggles, Tony turned and ran back across the river.

It nearly tore his heart out to leave her behind, but he pushed through the tall ferns where they had hid, retracing his steps to a large cluster of boulders. From between the rocks, he pulled his sledge and rope, which he’d planned to use to take their kill back to the campsite.

His mouth set in grim determination, Tony threw the coil of rope over his shoulder and dragged the sledge to the river. The dicha was long gone by the time Tony got there, his bolas left lying in the muck, but it didn’t matter.

Skirting around the mud trap, Tony positioned the sledge in front of Ruybel. Though her head drooped low and her eyes were wild with fear, she had not sunk any deeper while Tony was away.

“Hey, girl. I’m gonna get you out. It’ll be okay. It’ll be okay, Ruybel,” Tony said, shakily, more to himself than to Ruybel. He got a sad croak in response.

Tony began coaxing Ruybel on to the sledge in soft tones, hoping desperately that it would hold her weight if she even managed to get free. She scrabbled at the board, trying to reach Tony, but her legs were firmly stuck.

Suddenly, the world turned to a blur as something slammed into Tony’s side with all the force of a charging hatyl, sweeping him off his feet. He landed in the river with a splash, disoriented by the attack.

“What the—” Tony regained his senses enough to notice a strong arm around his chest and a body cushioning his fall. Back in the mud trap, Ruybel rumbled and snapped her jaws at the potential threat to Tony and renewed her efforts to pull free.

“Are you crazy?” a stranger’s voice hissed in Tony’s ear. “You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

“Let go of me!” Tony growled, shoving the arm away.

The stranger withdrew easily, allowing Tony to stumble to his feet. Barely glancing at his attempted savior, Tony started toward Ruybel. He needed to get her out before dark, and it could take hours.

A hand wrapped around Tony’s wrist. “Even if it’s trapped, that ranasha would happily eat you.”

Tony shook him off with a poisonous glare. “I raised her from a chick. I care for her, I hunt with her, I sleep by the same fire as her: she is my clan. I will not allow her to die while I can do anything about it.”

Marching right back over, Tony knelt down on the sledge and reached his hand out to Ruybel. She squawked and shoved her whole face into Tony’s arms. He stroked the feathers along the top of her head until she calmed some. “I’m gonna get you out, baby. Daddy’s gonna get you out.”

The sledge on its own clearly wasn’t working; Ruybel needed help getting on it. Snatching up the rope from where it fell, Tony looped it securely around Ruybel’s chest and tried not to think of the chances that this would work. He went to run the rope around a nearby tree when the stranger stepped in his path.

He squared his broad shoulders, and the silvery-white amulet hanging over his chest caught in the sunlight. “I can help.”

Uncertainty had Tony hesitating. If he had to guess, the stranger was probably more than a few seasons younger than him, yet he’d already been recognized as his band’s most respected warrior. Someone like that wouldn’t think twice of killing Ruybel; proof of having killed a dangerous predator like a ranasha was worth more than a dozen successful hunts, yet—

Tony eyed the amulet’s five points, representing the recognition he received from his clan, his band’s elders, his fellow warriors, rival bands, and the gods. It was the last one that made Tony pause.

The gods, Tony knew from experience, only showed their favor to the most noble or the most vile of people, blessing them with abilities beyond those of ordinary man. Looking at those blue eyes filled with concern, Tony thought he knew which one this stranger was.

“Here,” Tony said, handing the end of the rope to him. “Run it around that tree.”

Though clearly confused by what seemed like a bizarre request, the strange did as Tony asked and stood at the ready. Plucking a large, flat rock from the river, Tony dug at the muck around Ruybel’s feet. She rumbled at him questioningly, nudging him with her snout when he didn’t respond, but he ignored her and kept digging until her legs had room to move. He encouraged Ruybel to try to step onto the sledge, shouting to the stranger to begin pulling.

Together they managed to pry one foot then another from the mud. Ruybel jumped away from the spot as soon as she was clear, turning to rumble and snap at it in defiance. Tony untied the rope, smoothing her bedraggled feathers back into place as best he could, something of a lost cause since she was thoroughly coated in mud.

Ruybel wasted no time before tromping over to the river and sitting in the shallow waters. At first she seemed to content to let the current wash the dirt away, but soon enough she was dipping her head down and splashing her arms in the water.

The sudden absence of tension left Tony dizzy as his legs buckled under him, and he collapsed on the river bank. Laughter bubbled up inside him, spilling out in bursts. Another voiced joined his, and they laughed together in the sheer joy of having beaten the odds. After a moment, Tony simply said, “Thank you.”

Offering a hand to pull Tony up, the stranger said, “Steve.”

“Tony,” he replied, taking Steve’s hand. Something warm blossomed in Tony’s heart as Steve pulled him from the mud.

This was a turning point, just as finding a trampled nest with one unbroken egg on the verge of hatching was all those seasons ago.

**Author's Note:**

> Ruybel's rumbles would probably be somewhere in between [a tyrannosaurus'](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/12/09/sinister-sound-tyrannosaurus-rex-heard-first-time-66-million/%20) and [ a modern alligator's.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcJjbZuMx2k)
> 
> And [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXXT2YT3TQs) is what she would look like splashing in the river. You're welcome.
> 
> Also I really love comments! I always reply!


End file.
